Plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular. These vehicles are known as plug-in vehicles because onboard energy storage systems (e.g., battery packs) are recharged from a power source, such as a utility power source, by connecting (plugging in) the vehicle to an outlet.
In a typical charging situation, an electric (or hybrid electric) vehicle is connected to a local power grid at a home location (for example) and the onboard energy storage system is charged from the local power grid. However, it may also be desirable (or necessary) to charge the vehicle at locations other than the driver's home (or other base location), such as by plugging the vehicle into a charging station at a parking facility or the driver's place of business. In these remote charging situations, it is often desirable to lock the charging cord (or cable) into the vehicle during charging, until such time as the vehicle is unplugged by the driver.
Thus, a user's first interaction with a plug-in vehicle is not to enter the vehicle, but rather, to attend to (unplug) the charging cord so that the vehicle may be operated by the driver. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods that facilitate user interaction with plug-in vehicles. Additionally, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.